Showalter on Flaherty, Jones leading off, trade deadline and more

Orioles infielder Ryan Flaherty remains with the club and could go on an injury rehab assignment next week.

Flaherty, on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder, did some early hitting this afternoon and he continues to take ground balls and throw. Manager Buck Showalter said he's hopeful that Flaherty will be able to join an affiliate within the next five to seven days.

Team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs examined Flaherty's shoulder yesterday in Baltimore.

"He got as good a checkup as you could get yesterday," Showalter said. "They're going to spend this week trying to finish off the strengthening of that area and I'm hoping by the end of this coming week that he's out on rehab.

"We've missed Ryan. As you get into the season you realize all the things he served that we haven't been able to do with his absence."

Showalter said he spoke to Adam Jones last week about returning the center fielder to the top of the order. Jones is batting first tonight against Cubs left-hander Mike Montgomery, the spot he occupied for 108 games last season.

"Something he's fine with and kind of likes," Showalter said. "He's had some good success there. Also, I think a lot of it had to do with Chris (Davis) coming back and a left-handed pitcher tonight. We'll see where it takes us as we go forward.

"Just with Chris back and kind of presenting the type of challenges to a batting order that we want to present to the opposition, it just fit a little better. Adam's done well with runners in scoring position. Having Joey (Rickard) or someone else down there is going to help him. (Rubén) Tejada swung the bat real well the last couple of games he started.

"It just fit us a lot better. We'll see how it goes. But did well from that spot and it kind of works out."

Showalter also wanted to keep Manny Machado in the second slot and Jonathan Schoop batting third. He tried to work Davis back into the lineup without too much disruption.

"Yeah, that has something to do with it," he said. "There's a lot of different reasons. That's some of it, too. If you start moving things around, you end up with some people hitting seventh or eighth that you'd like to have hitting a lot higher and getting a chance to get more at-bats.

"You look at how certain people have handled left-handed and right-handed pitching this year. And hoping that continues so you can count on that. Jon's done a lot better job against left-handed pitching this year. It was a point of emphasis with two or three of our hitters coming into the season. They seem to have done well with it."

With the non-waiver trade deadline arriving at the end of the month, Showalter will be inundated with questions about buyers versus sellers and how to keep his players from becoming distracted.

"There's a lot of stuff being thrown against the wall and most of it ..." he said. "You try to put yourself in their shoes and you assume that they know that it's out of their control. That's obviously a question for Dan (Duquette).

"This isn't about being competitive here, OK? We're trying to win. Every game, every year, every season, and be the last team standing. You have to be competitive to do that, but just being competitive ain't good enough. So the things that you have to do over the course of a season to win ...

"As far as talking to the players, if I feel like it's affecting someone and it is something you look out for when you start this post All-Star break, because they know when the trade deadline is. It's a very false deadline. You all know that. It's not false from the standpoint of being able to play in the playoffs. But it's something you keep an eye on and don't assume that nobody's having a problem with it. And I think we all have a pretty good idea which people that people would have some interest in if we went down that road, but I haven't had any conversations with Dan that would indicate that there's some thought to that."

Showalter called Schoop and Machado into his office before batting practice to talk about the All-Star Game. He wanted the hat that Machado wore in the stands with his wife and nephew, and he teased Schoop about not receiving any gifts.

"I know he and Jon had a great time down there," Showalter said. "And then I wanted to know where my stuff was, my All-Star stuff. 'You better not have come back empty-handed.' He said Nelson (Cruz) told him that he had to do that.

"He said he was kind of nervous. It's like going to a new school for the first time. You think you're going to like it, but you're trying to get to know a lot of new people. I told Jon, 'Jon, you're one of those guys now. Believe me.' A lot of people don't really know the type of player and how good a year Jon is having. He handled himself real well down there. We're proud of him.

"I'm going to be real surprised if Jon doesn't handle success well. Pretty humble kid. His mom and dad have done a great job with him. Watch him interact with his siblings. Jon's not really enamored with a lot of the bells and whistles and things that his success could afford him. It's all about his family. It is. Everything he gets is about taking care of his extended family. And it's an extended extended. And he means it. He's sincere about it.

"Everything Jon does in this game, he remembers where it started."